Battling the Snowstorm
by fanfictionmakermachine
Summary: A prophecy once foretold the arrival of a ruler with powers who will make Arendelle the strongest kingdom in the North. But while making a kingdom strong a ruler can make powerful enemies. This is the story of four warriors who joined forces to prevent this prophecy, while fighting someone, who is far more powerful, intelligent and ambitious than them. Big Four vs Evil Elsa!
1. Prologue

**A.N.: OK, first of all, I would like to apologize to everyone who found my Dragon Island trailer appealing, because they will be disappointed. I just lost my inspiration with that story, so sorry, but I can't do it. I know this isn't the first time I promise you a story and give you something else. I promise you, it won't happen again.**

**This will be an original Big Four fanfic, but Elsa will have an important role too. Though, she will be kind of OOC. Maybe kind of doesn't exactly fit it. I think it would describe it the best if I said this story will be in the community I have created.**

**Before you begin, some important things you need to know. This story takes place after HTTYD 2, Brave and Tangled. Jack Frost is there too, but I can't say it takes place after ROTG, since that takes place in modern times. As for Frozen: it's a few weeks after Elsa's coronation. Eternal winter didn't happen, Anna doesn't know of her powers.**

**Alright, let's get started.**

**Prologue: Storms of the Past**

The Kingdom of Dunbroch was a small, but still remarkable country, lying at the northern parts of the British Isles, the Scottish Highlands. Dunbroch has stood for centuries as the mightiest of the Scottish kingdoms. Not because of it's strength, but because of it's endurance. The kingdom has withstood it's enemies and was willing to fight until the last man standing. And that was the reason Dunbroch managed to survive through the centuries and that was what gave it's people the hope of the future.

In the North, there are several threats that can endanger a kingdom. The weather for example was harsh even in the summers. The winters were even worse. The harshest winters often took many lives everywhere. And of course as everywhere, there were raiders, pirates and even a few viking tribes, that were still around, even after almost a thousand years of their golden age. Some of them were actually peaceful, well as peaceful as a viking tribe could get, but most of them were still really fond of the old viking ways of raiding kingdoms, and their methods were still quite effective. Not as much as back in the old times, but a viking army was still fearful in many northern kingdoms.

But the greatest threat a kingdom could face is a war. War is often described as hell on earth and for a good reason. Especially for a kingdom like the ones in the North. Despite the fact that the Nordic kingdoms were mostly peaceful, that wasn't always like that. There were two major kingdoms in the North, Corona and Arendelle. Both of them were ruled by beloved pairs of a king and a queen. Corona was ruled by King Thomas and Queen Primrose, while Arendelle's King and Queen were Agdar and Idunn.

Under their rules, these two kingdoms were blossoming. There were no wars or crime sprees. The people absolutely adored them and they treated every subject fair. For the goods they have done in their lives, they were rewarded with beautiful baby princesses. Corona was throwing one of it's biggest parties in it's history, when Princess Rapunzel was born. Arendelle had two of these, because three years after Princess Elsa was born, Princess Anna followed. Their roles in this story however will only be important later. For now, our main focus is Dunbroch and Arendelle, for these two kingdoms share a troublesome past.

Before the reign of King Agdar and Queen Idunn, Arendelle's rulers included some, who were not as kindhearted or loving as them. Our story begins in 1823. Arendelle was founded four hundred years before that. The first ruler was King Johann, who wished for his kingdom to have status in the North. To achieve this goal, he married Princess Maria of Dunbroch, thus making an alliance between the two kingdoms. However, since their marriage was arranged, it was loveless. Maria hated her husband for taking away her freedom and taking her away from her country, so when the time has come for them to produce an heir, it didn't exactly go smoothly. Maria could only bring herself to give birth to one child from Johann. The child was a boy, he was named Leopold.

Just like his father, the prince was also shunned by his mother, only his father gave him any form of parental affection. So, when King Johann passed away in his life's 51st year, the prince took it really hard. The Queen's hatred of her husband was not a big secret by that time, rumors have started to spread about her killing him, so she could rule alone and lead the kingdom to ruins, before returning to Dunbroch. Even though these were just rumors, Prince Leopold has become so wary of his mother, that they were enough for him.

Princess Maria was soon arrested for murder and treason, which was of course punishable by death, Leopold wanted her to suffer more. So as an attempt to get back at her, he broke the alliance with Dun'broch, and he declared war on his mother's home country, with the sole purpose of annihilating it. Though his kingdom was still small, the military force of Arendelle was slowly beginning to become adequate for such a task.

But he didn't take the incredible battle spirit of the Scotts to account. The army of Dunbroch was smaller than Arendelle's, but they fought fiercely. It took about one month to get a significant force to the Scottish grounds, and they were suffering heavy losses. After three months of bloodshed, the Prince of Arendelle saw that he had started a campaign he cannot hope to win, so he offered his enemy a deal: He will return the former Queen Maria of Arendelle to them as an offer of peace, Dunbroch accepted, thus ending the first war between these two kingdoms.

After that, things started to settle down. Leopold became the new King, found himself a queen and ruled without any more serious affairs. Things have been peaceful in the North for three generations, though the grudge between Arendelle and Dunbroch was still there.

In 1604, King Erik took the throne of Arendelle. He was considered a fair ruler, but he wasn't ashamed to let it be known among his subjects that he had big ambitions. One of them included finally taking Dunbroch. One day an opportunity to do so arose before him, which was simply too good to pass up.

Apparently, local viking tribes have been trying to find a way to annihilate that nation, and pride as vikings may be, even they had to realize they need allies to do so. And Arendelle seemed the perfect choice. Knowing about the tension between the two kingdoms, they realized that it only needed a spark to explode. King Eric was given an offer he couldn't refuse, in exchange of an alliance and military assist in their campaign against Dunbroch, they can have the land.

The people of Arendelle lass then happy about joining forces with such unpredictable allies as the vikings, but they knew how fierce warriors they were and with the combined force of their armies, they would have a much better chance against the Scotts.

But once again, they didn't take something to account. They were not the only ones who made alliances. Once all of the clans in the Highlands knew about their enemy's union, they all joined forces to protect the land. Arendelle may have just wanted Dunbroch, but none of them wanted the vikings to take any advantage in the Highlands.

This time the war lasted a lot longer and it was more bloody than the first one. For almost a year, the bloodshed just kept going on in Scotland, nonstop. With the help of the vikings, the armies of Arendelle were only an inch away from victory, due to the brute strength of the viking warriors and the tactical brilliance of the officers from Arendelle. But they were once again overwhelmed by the spirit and determination of the Scotts and were defeated in a brutal battle, which also cost the life of King Erik.

After the war, Hell broke loose in Arendelle. Not only their king died on a foreign battlefield, but their military was pretty much completely annihilated in Dunbroch. The people were afraid that the kingdoms around them would not miss an opportunity to take a completely defenseless kingdom to annex them into themselves, and getting an ally to call for to help them would be almost impossible, seeing as most of the kingdoms wasn't really fond of them, after they helped the vikings attack Dunbroch. As for the vikings, there were two reasons they were out of the questions, first of all, they weren't exactly the most loyal and reliable allies you can have, secondly, they also suffered

heavy losses in Scotland.

In the chaos, one day however emerged a mysterious man, who claimed to bring order back to the kingdom. He was rather dubious man, a shadowy figure in a cloak, who called himself Richard. He moved into the royal palace in Arendelle, which was now empty. He was happy he managed to claim it before the anarchists did, as they unfortunately started to grow in numbers and were running amok in the kingdom, due to the chaotic state. Richard held public speeches, in which he spoke about his plans on not only rebuilding Arendelle, but also making it stronger, than ever before and gain status, that not only the North, but the whole world will respect.

Most people didn't believe him at first, but he had a certain aura around him that made him really convincing. As he stood on the balcony of the castle, talking to the people, he looked so sure in himself and spoke with such charisma, that he eventually convinced everyone that he meant business. In order to make the kingdom rise from it's ashes, he would need to create order in it first. He recruited members into his group of royal guards and set out to eradicate the rising crime rate and the anarchists who started to become more and more of a problem, due to the chaos in the kingdom. It didn't seem that this small group would be successful in that, but Arrendelians were famous of their intelligence and cunning. Richard was no exception and he organized the group really well. So well, that in merely two months, the last of the opposing force was taken care of.

After that, the people of Arendelle were astonished to see Richard and his Royal Guards achieving such a thing, so quickly, Richard used it to inspire the people and use their help to rebuild the kingdom. Men, women and even some children worked together to clear the streets and rebuild everything. In less then half a year, the kingdom was rebuilt and the people were so impressed with Richard, that they declared him their new king.

Now that the inner order was insured, Arendelle also needed protection as they were still lacking military strength and were completely defenseless against outside forces, they didn't have time to properly establish an army. And Richard once again defied the odds, by managing to convince the King and Queen of Corona in a letter to pay a visit to Arendelle to discuss a possible alliance.

Not only that, he also managed to persuade them to actually agree to an alliance and insure Arendelle's protection. Most people considered it as the result of his charisma, but seeing how quickly royal pair agreed, when it was clear they were reluctant to even come to Arendelle, some people weren't convinced. It was by that time, that rumors have taken wings about Richard. He was a rather secluded man, he spent hours inside the castle dungeons, no one really knew what he was doing down there.

People started whispering about Richard secretly practicing the art of sorcery, and that was the reason of him accomplishing such tasks in so little time. Some more paraniod rumors have started to suggest that he was trying to cast a spell on the kingdom to insure his power.

Shortly after, these rumors were proven to be true – at least the ones implying sorcery – when a plaque hit most of the Nordic kingdoms. People were dying all around the North, and when the plaque hit Arendelle, Richard used a special potion to not only cure the people, but to make them immune to it. Two surrounding kingdoms, Weselton and the Southern Isles were intrigued to know why the arrendelians became immune to it and sent delegates to Arendelle, but Richard didn't let them in. He didn't want to share the secrets with any other kingdoms.

But the delegates couldn't leave without finding a potential cure for the plaque. So one night, they bribed a corrupt member of the royal guards to let them in. They put on disguises and looked for Richard, whom they found in the throne room, using his potion on people who were still infected. Taking advantage of not being recognized by the man, they stole a bottle of the potion and got out of the kingdom, undetected.

Once Richard discovered that he had been robbed of such an important thing, he was enraged, which wasn't really like him, as he was a calm and collected man, so once the royal guards were gathered on the courtyard and saw their ruler so infuriated, they knew something was off. The king angrily demanded who was the one who allowed someone to sneak in and steal something so important to Arendelle. At first, none of them answered. So Richard used a special spell upon them to make the traitor reveal himself. When that happened, he ordered the others to arrest him and to bring him to the town square at noon. He then gathered the people on the square and held a violent public execution to show people how Arendelle dealt with traitors.

A few days after that, soldiers from a few surrounding kingdoms appeared in Arendelle, accompanied by some important ecclesiastical figured who charged Richard with sorcery after they examined his strange, unknown potion and ordered him to surrender to them, or they burn Arendelle down. Even though the kingdom still didn't have a significant military force to resist with, the royal guards who swore loyalty to the king and the citizens who were grateful to him for his services were more then willing to protect him to their death and even the Coronan allies were willing to offer help, Richard gave in to their demands, saying he didn't want his people to perish pointlessly.

King Richard of Arendelle was burnt at the stake for sorcery on October 19th, 1623. Before the flames engulfed him, his final words were spoken to his people, his final words that would later become a legend in Arendelle. A prophecy.

"People of Arendelle, mark my words! Our kingdom will not be at the mercy of others for long! A ruler will come! A ruler blessed with a power from the gods that will make him or her unstoppable! A ruler who will make this kingdom the strongest in the North, and will crush anyone who dares to oppose her!"

And those were his final words. With these words, he foretold the arrival of a ruler who will bring Arendelle glory. Glory it never had before. Most people dismissed it as a delusion of a broken man in his final moments, but then something unthinkable happened. Richard's burned, unrecognizable body started to turn into some white energy, that shot towards the sky. As more and more of this energy started to gather on the sky, it started to take on the form of an enormous snowflake on the sky to everyone's shock, wonder, and terror. As the body completely dissolved into energy, the last of it joined the rest on the sky and the snowflake exploded, bringing a harsh winter to every kingdom in the north that year.

Two hundred years have passed since then, two hundred years and this has become nothing more than an urban legend. The king after Richard ordered everyone in Arendelle to never speak of the "happening to anyone in the younger generations. Talking of it was a crime punishable by death. However there were still some whisperings about "King Richard's prophecy." and even after two hundred years, there were still people who believed in it. Who believed that one day, a ruler would arrive with King Leopold's fierceness, King Erik's ambitiousness and King Richards cunning and intelligence, with powers that would make him or her unstoppable to make Arendelle strong. After two hundred years, this still hasn't happened, but even after two hundred years, the prophecy lived.

In 1820, King Agdar and Queen Idunn of Arendelle passed away in a storm on the sea. With their death their eldest daughter, Princess Elsa would take the throne, but only in three years, when she became old enough to be crowned. In 1823, she became 21. The July of 1823 was the date when Queen Elsa's reign would begin.

**A.N.: I don't know what to say guys, I realize this prologue didn't have anything to do with the Big Four fandom, but I promise the next one will. It wasn't easy to make up some fake history for Arendelle and a legend that would speak of a ruler with powers. It kinda felt odd writing this, but I hope you like it.**

**I have lately realized that the animated movies of Brave and Frozen are getting a lot of hate, that really saddens me. Why do you think it's happening. Anyway, I hope you like this prologue, next chapter will feature Elsa and the royal family from Brave. Read and Review, please. Thank you. This is fanfictionmakermachine, signing out, peace!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A.N.: Back for the second chapter. Hope you like it.**

**There is one thing, I find necessary to tell you: I will not write the Scottish accent of Merida and her family for two reasons:**

**I live in Hungary, so I saw the movie in Hungarian.**

**Even if I saw it in English, with the accent, I don't think I could get it right.**

**But I hope you still like it.**

**Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm**

Being located in the northern parts of Europe, Dunbroch always had a rather chilly climate, even during the summers. The end of July was nearing and it was barely above 16 degrees, which was unusual. Even in the North. The usual summer temperature in Dunbroch was around 22-23 degrees. Not only that, but the sun, which was used to warm the land – even if only slightly - was covered by the fairly overcast sky and there was a chilling wind hoovering over the entire kingdom.

But there was something different about this wind. It wasn't only stinging the faces of everyone it came across and sending shivers down on their spines, but it was also carrying a feeling of misgiving with itself and it also gave it to every people in the kingdom. It was like this wind was foreshadowing an event that would soon take place in the Scottish kingdom and this wind was the predictor of that event.

Feelings like this were usually far from troubling Princess Merida. The heir to the throne of Dunbroch was not one to bother with such gut feelings, but when she was awoken from her sleep by this chilling, foreshadowing wind that morning, even she had to admit to herself she had a bad feeling about this day. Even though, she did not really have things to complain about nowadays. Her life finally went into a direction she wanted it to go.

Ever since that bear incident, which she and her mother finally managed to get over and forget after a year, she and her mother, Queen Elinor finally made amends and fixed their troubled relationship. The Queen finally understood how much her daughter wished to be free and Merida also understood that as the crown princess of the kingdom, she had her duties that she can't abandon. Ever since then, the two came to understand each other better it made it easier for them to tolerate the other's behavior. Merida still had her escapades to the woods to do archery and other not so ladylike stuff, but she also had her fair share of her mother's lectures. Elinor also understood her daughter was a free spirit and there was nothing she could possibly do to change that, so she respected it and gave Merida more freedom than before, but she still educated her in the way of a princess and she still got rather upset when her husband or her daughter put her weapons on the table. Yeah, some things never change.

But Merida didn't mind. Now that she and her mother started seeing eye to eye she was certain that her life was finally on the right tracks. So when she woke up, she simply brushed it off and got ready for her day. This day would be a big one for her, her family and her kingdom. Well, definitely her family and her kingdom. The freshly crowned Queen of Arendelle was coming to Dunbroch to deal with some political matters.

To Merida, Arendelle wasn't saying a lot. As the princess of Dunbroch, she was well-aware of the bad history these two kingdoms shared, but she also knew that in the recent years, the kingdoms' relationship improved greatly. She had met King Adgar and Queen Idunn before and she knew they were righteous rulers. They did everything within their powers to fix the relationship between the two kingdoms and she had no doubts that their daughter will follow their ways.

However, Merida could not shake off the feeling of some suspicion about this mysterious new Queen. In Arendelle, the word was that she was extremely seclusive and spent most of her childhood and teenage years in her castle, which was locked down when she was eight. It was reopened a while ago after her coronation, but Merida found it strange that after all those years of isolating herself, she suddenly just decide to open her palace and give Dunbroch a visit. Her parents seemed to ignore this fact. They seemed pleased about Queen Elsa visiting them.

But the Queen would only arrive in the afternoon hours, that left Merida some free time to spend as she pleased. Elinor had to spend this day with preparing everything for the Queen's arrival, which meant no lessons for her today. So her plans included the usual routine: grabbing some breakfast, hopping on Angus to ride into the woods, do some archery, exploring and other unladylike stuff.

Upon making her way into the dining room, she wasn't even surprised to see that her mother wasn't even there. She probably went to make sure everything was perfect for the by the time Queen Elsa arrives. After taking her usual amount of breakfast from the kitchen, she settled down at the table, where her father and younger brothers were sitting at.

"Good morning, Merida." her father, King Fergus of Dunbroch greeted her with his usual cheerful grin. "You slept in today, you know." he said, referring to the fact that her daughter recently started to adapt to the waking with the sun thing her mother talked to her about.

"I take every second of sleep I can get. When mum's not pestering me with her lessons, I can finally get some." she said. She then looked over her little brothers Hubert, Harris and Hamish, not liking the look they were giving her. Those three were always up to no good. She started to dig in her breakfast, not paying attention to the things going on around her.

When she finished, she was about reached for some sweets she hoped to top off her breakfast with, only to find that they were gone. She looked back to her brothers seeing them happily chewing on the cakes that were supposed to be hers. The little thieves must have taken them from under the table while she was busy devouring her breakfast.

Merida sighed in annoyance. "You know that our deal of you getting my dessert for a year is over, right?" Instead of her brothers, the response she got was laughter from her father.

"I told you she won't notice it!" Merida was shocked to see her father partaking in one of her brothers' scheme.

"Dad, how could you?!" she yelled at him in shock. He just chuckled in response.

"Oh, come on, Merida, you won't die from eating a little less. I really don't know how can you eat so much and stay in such a great shape." he said. Merida crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a huff. Her father stood up. "Now, I have to go and help your mother with the preparations for Queen Elsa's arrival." and with that, he left the room to find his wife.

Merida turned to her little brothers with a light glare. "I hate you guys, I hope you know that." They only nodded, knowing she didn't really mean it, then stood up and fled the room, leaving Merida to herself. Merida sighed again, shaking her head with a smile, knowing she could never hate them – even though, sometimes she felt like she could try.

With her breakfast finished, Merida stood up and left for the stables. While walking towards the castle's exit, she saw the maids working extremely hard to get the castle in top shape. Merida didn't remember ever seeing Maudie move so fast, not even when she was running from her mother in her bear form. Just before exiting the gate, she heard her mother's voice calling for her.

"Merida!" she turned around to see her mother, Queen Elinor of Dunbroch walking towards her. "Where are you going? The Queen of Arendelle could be here anytime. I don't want her to think that our family is so disrespectful that we are not here to greet her when she arrives." Merida sighed. Her mother always wanted to make everything perfect. Nothing less than that was satisfying to her.

"Mum, it's okay. She only will arrive in the afternoon, it's not even noon yet. I'm just going out for a while." she tried to convince her, but seeing her expression didn't soften a bit, she could tell she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"Couldn't you stay and help me with getting this place ready?" Elinor tried desperately to convince her daughter to stay and help her with some royal duties for once, but she had a feeling that no matter how hard she tries, her efforts will be in vain.

"Mum, we talked about this." Merida told her. Elinor sighed, aware of that she lost this argument.

"Fine, but please promise me you will be back by the time she arrives." Merida smiled, glad that she got her mother to soften on her.

"You have my word, your majesty." she said on a regal voice that Elinor was teaching her. The Queen chuckled at this.

"That was actually really good. You're finally learning something." Merida rolled her eyes at his. Her mother chuckled and ruffled her mess of a hair. "Alright, off you go. But please, try not to turn anyone into a bear while you are out there."

"Oh, come on, mum! That only happened once!" Merida joked as she walked away from her. She walked to the castle stables where Angus greeted her cheerfully.

"Hey, boy! Ready for our morning routine?" she asked with a bright smile. The horse whined loudly as if voicing his agreement. Merida giggled and hopped onto her horse and rode out straight to the woods.

* * *

Meanwhile close to the shores of Dunbroch, three ships were sailing towards the Scottish kingdom under the banner of Arendelle. The main ship, which was surprisingly the smallest was between the other two ships, which were big enough to easily carry a battalion of soldiers. But their passengers were only the Royal Guards of Arendelle. The Queen's personal bodyguards who were loyal only to her and took orders from her only. The Queen was confident that Dunbroch would not take it a hostility if she would arrive with that many armed men. After all, she didn't have any intention of using them in any aggressive actions against Dunbroch and the King and Queen had no reason to believe otherwise.

Said Queen, Elsa of Arendelle was currently sitting in her cabin, preparing herself for the boarding in Dunbroch. She was finishing her hair in front of the mirror. Finishing, she stood up to take a look at herself, quiet satisfied with her look. She was wearing her coronation dress, she really liked that one. She did her hair in the exact same fashion as it was at her coronation ball too. She was surprised to admit that she thought she looked really good that day.

Just when she was done, there was a knock on her cabin's door. "Enter!" she called. One of her royal guards who was currently with her on her ship entered.

"Milady, we will arrive to Dunbroch in about twenty minutes." he informed her. Elsa smiled.

"Thank you. I assume they won't mind if we arrive a little earlier than expected." she mused as she sat down in her chair. "Now leave, and alert me immediately when we docked." she ordered.

"Of course, Milady." said the guard, then bowed slightly and left. Elsa smiled to herself and sat back in her chair. She looked at herself in the mirror, as she started to pondering about the many things that had changed in the past few weeks. She was now the Queen of Arendelle and she couldn't kept hiding in her room, she had a duty to her people and she was more than willing to fulfill those duties. The castle of Arendelle was reopened and the kingdom was open to other kingdoms as well. She no longer hid in her room like in the past thirteen years. Even though, this would be her first trip to another kingdom and she was a little nervous. But she knew she couldn't allow it to herself. She had to be strong, she was traveling to Dunbroch with a mission to her kingdom and she had to concentrate on it.

She was sitting in the cabin, alone. It was rather strange to sit in a room, all alone without being constantly bugged by her sister. Elsa almost missed her singing outside, begging for her to go out and build a snowman. _Almost._ In the past thirteen years, the silence in her room nearly drove her mad. Now she found it relaxing and calming. Elsa couldn't help but scoff at the thought of her sister.

_'All you know is how to shut people out!'_ it echoed in her mind. Her sister actually had the nerve to throw it in her face. The memory made her hands clenching into fists. Her attention was only brought back to reality when she heard something crash on the floor. She opened her eyes and saw a glass that she was drinking from earlier shattered on the ground, due to a sudden burst of wind that suddenly entered the room from her cabin window.

Seeing this, Elsa decided to calm herself and concentrate on her mission in Dunbroch. She has to keep herself together, she can't lose the grip on herself. For now, that is. She must have been dazing out for a little longer than she thought, because a couple moments later her guard reported to her that they have arrived to Dunbroch. She smiled to herself. She reached for the last part of her accessories, a pair of gloves. She slowly pulled them on and whispered to herself. "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show. Wait for the right moment and then let it go."

* * *

"Oh, come on! I don't believe it!" The irritated cries of Princess Merida echoed through the forest as she missed her target for the umpteen time that say. It's not that her archery skills reduced recently, it was this damn wind that was blowing today. If Merida didn't have a reason to be concerned about it, she certainly had one now.

Angus noticed his rider's annoyance and went closer to her and gently nudged the back of her head as an effort to cheer her up. This action seemed to work, as the girl looked up at her horse with a smile, but her face went back into a frown as she once again felt the wind on her face. She scoffed.

"Let's go home, Angus, this isn't our day." She sulked. "Come to think of it, maybe we better go before a storm breaks out."

"_Storm!" _The princess widened her eyes and turned to the direction where the croak came from. She looked up and saw a strangely familiar looking crow sitting on a branch above her. It took Merida a moment to realize it, but a moment later it clicked. This was that woodcarving witch's crow. Merida was fairly surprised to see it here. She hopped on Angus to get a closer look of the bird.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered out loud. The crow just stared at her with those big eyes and croaked again. _"Storm!" _the crow flew away from the branch, only to sit down on another one near to it. After it sat down, it continued to stare at Merida. Merida wondered what could the bird's business be with her, but then she slowly came to a realization.

"Do you want me to... follow you?" the crow just croaked again, as if in agreement and flew away. Merida was hesitant. The crow would most likely lead her back to the witch's cottage and she didn't plan to return there anytime soon. But curiosity once again got the better of her and she told Angus to follow the bird. "Let's go, Angus!" The horse looked hesitant, but obliged.

They followed the crow for a while and just as Merida expected, the bird led them to the witch's cottage. The crow flew in on the window, leaving the princess to wonder what was going on. Judging by the many creepily unusual thing happening today, something wrong going on. And if magic was involved, there was something SERIOUSLY wrong going on.

"Wait for me here, Angus." she instructed her horse and slowly walked to the door. Merida wasn't sure if she should get into some magical again, but if the witch was seeking her out with her bird, she must have had a really good reason to do so. With a sigh, she entered.

She was surprised that she didn't see hundreds of small bear figures carved out of wood all around the place. In fact, she was in the cottage witch was used by the witch to cast her spells. Merida slowly entered and looked around for her. And it didn't take her long to find her sitting in a chair, nervously working on another carving. Merida raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, hello." she greeted her. Upon hearing her voice, the witch looked up and upon seeing her, her expression went from nervous to happy.

"Oh, you came. Thank God!" she exclaimed. "You are just the person I needed to see." she said as she went back to her carving.

"And why did you need to see me?" Merida asked, having a bad feeling about the answer she will give her.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice it, dear." she smiled. "Surely you saw the signs." Merida was utterly lost by this point.

"What are you talking about, what signs? You're not making any sense!" she complained. The Witch's eyes suddenly widened as she realized something.

"Oh, of course. You have to be experienced with magic to feel it!" she said to herself, causing Merida to frown.

"Well, I had enough experience with magic to last a lifetime. So get to the point, before I get tired of this and leave."

"Oh, hold your horses, dear!" The Witch shouted as she stood up from her chair, making Merida jump slightly. "Oh, young people these days! But back in my days..." she walked to a bookshelf by the wall and pulled out a thick book. Merida watched her bringing it to a table in front of them and put it down. "I can feel it in my bones. The wind, the cold." she mumbled as she searched through the pages of the book. "There is a storm coming, princess" she said, confusing Merida even more. She sighed in relief as she apparently found the pages she was looking for. "There was a prophecy, if I remember correctly about two thousand years ago. It was about a ruler, a ruler who would wield vast magical powers in order to bring a kingdom to greatness, ruthlessly destroying everyone who would stand in the way." Merida looked at the pages in the book, which showed her the picture of a land covered in snow. The Witch switched to the next page, which showed an enormous ice castle, towering above the lands and the mountains. "Only the bravest of hearts can possibly withstand such a foe." she finished as she closed the book. "The prophecy got buried in the sand of time, dear. There are only a few people knowing about it." Merida raised an eyebrow.

"I don't understand! What prophecy, what foe? Why are you telling me this?" the witch smiled.

"Like I said, only the bravest of heart can withstand such a foe. And you are one of the bravest people I know. If this prophecy comes true, our precious kingdom will fall under a terrible curse, which will bring darkness and cold. And that's really bad for business." Merida decided that she will end this conversation here.

"Okay. I think you have breathed in too much of your magical potions today. Now, I have to get back to my family to greet a royal guest with them or my mum will kill me. Later" she headed to the door, but the Witch stopped her.

"Don't be stupid, little girl. Haven't you listened to what I just told you?"

"I am not frightened by myths and legends. If this prophecy is real, then find another brave heart to deal with it, I've had my fair share of your magical businesses." Merida told her harshly. The witch frowned at her. She grabbed her hand and put something in it.

"Mark my words, princess." she said as she walked away from her. "There is a storm coming." Merida sighed and walked out of the cottage. Outside, she raised her hand to see what the witch gave her. It was another carving of wood, but it was not bear, or anything she saw the Witch carve before. It was the carving of a snowflake.

**A.N.: I feel like this chapter is a little rushed, but I hope it meets your expectations. Chapter 2 will come before September and after that I'll try to focus back on "The Viking and the Snow Queen", but in September I will start 12th grade, which means my graduation is coming up next May, so I will have to study in every second of my life next year, but I'll try to take some time. Later!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N.: Hey guys! I'm back for the third chapter of this story and after this I will return to "The Viking and the Snow Queen".**

**I would like to thank everyone who faved this story or added it to their alert lists. Also thanks for hcsp1 for his reviews and support.**

**Alright, here we go:**

**Chapter 2: The Eve of The Storm**

The words of the witch kept tormenting Merida all the way home. _"There is a storm coming? What was that supposed to mean?" _The young princess was sure the old crook wasn't just forecasting the weather – and sure, it did look like there could be a storm breaking out anytime now – but just because it was colder than usual, that didn't mean there were some supernatural powers working in the background and an old prophecy about to be fulfilled.

And yet, Merida couldn't shake off the feeling of some nervousness. There was a reason that she couldn't get her mind off of this thing and that was that the witch sought her ought with this prophecy about a ruler with powers who will bring cold and darkness right before her family was about to greet Queen Elsa in Dunbroch. Merida shook her head. That was stupid. Elsa was young woman who was apparently very shy and seclusive, due to her having spent her entire childhood locked up in the palace. But at the same time, the story her mother always told her about an ancient kingdom that has fallen in ruins because of a prince's greed and selfishness proved too be true after all. So, why couldn't this...

"No! This is insane!" growled the red haired princess as she shook her head to dismiss those ridiculous thoughts. But no matter how hard she tried to shake them away, the witch planted the seed of doubt inside her. Great. Now she will worry about this stupid thing the whole time Queen Elsa is in Dunbroch and probably completely embarrass herself and her family in front of the Arendelle delegates. She sighed as she slowly rode Angus back to the castle. She thought that maybe helping her mother with the preparations back there would get her minds off of this thing.

* * *

Princess Anna of Arendelle let out a sigh as she kept staring at the sea, into the direction where her sister's ship have set sail to just a few hours ago. She was feeling really nervous, since her parents have died on the sea three years earlier. Ever since then, she could not look at a ship without this tragic memory striking back into her mind. And now her sister is out there too. She prayed to God for her sister not to suffer the same fate. She wouldn't be able to bare it.

She found it strange that after thirteen years of staying locked up in her room, shutting everyone out for more then a decade, she suddenly decided to visit the kingdom of Dunbroch for diplomatic reasons. When she asked her about it, she replied with, "I am a Queen, Anna, and I have my duties." She couldn't help, but scoff. Elsa has been abandoning her duties as a sister for thirteen years, but when she becomes queen, she suddenly becomes the responsible ruler. To Anna, that meant that Elsa was putting the kingdom before her. Not like she didn't understood. Elsa was a queen and as the queen she should put her kingdom before everything else, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

In the past few weeks, there were big changes in Arendelle. The gates were reopened and she didn't have to live in seclusion anymore. But people were only allowed into the palace if they had serious business with the Queen. Elsa was truly doing her best to be a good queen. But not everyone were so convinced about it. Some of the more wealthy and powerful people in Arendelle have expressed great disapproval against the young queen taking the throne on her own. Some of them even started to scheme against Elsa or turning the people against her, but strangely enough, these people have mysteriously disappeared shortly after.

This didn't really help the queen's reputation, but none dared to further speak against Elsa's rule. Rumors were still there of course, but Elsa and Anna didn't care. They knew better than to upset themselves on what the greedy pretenders and the peasants came up with to throw dirt on her or entertain themselves as Elsa once put it. Elsa has changed so much over the past few weeks. She was no longer the sweet and innocent girl then she was. She was now a strong and ambitious woman. Even though she only ruled for barely over a month, but Anna could tell she was aiming to be a fair ruler. Even though, Anna had witnessed outbursts of her sister. The most intense one was when during a meeting, her council brought up the subject of marriage. They suggested a suitor who's open intention was to take over the role of ruling Arendelle from her. Elsa then snapped at them and forcefully declared that some power hungry prince won't take over the kingdom that her family ruled for generations.

As for the relationship between the two sisters, it didn't improve much. Elsa didn't shut her out anymore, but she didn't even try to warm up to her. She never had time for her, always brushing her off over a meeting or something. And Anna even wanted to go with her to this trip, but Elsa declined, saying she needed someone to look after things while she was gone. Though Anna understood her reasoning, she still felt rejected.

But even with her sister gone, she wouldn't be alone anymore. Because she finally found herself a someone to make her feel loved, if her sister wasn't willing to do that anymore. The thought of her charming, lovely boyfriend, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles brought a smile to her face. She felt the love of a man for the first time. Even though they only encountered at Elsa's coronation briefly, a few hours later Hans had proposed her, and of course, she said yes. Elsa on the other hand didn't even want to hear about a marriage. When they asked for her blessing, she immediately said no, but after some discussion with Hans, she gave him her permission to court her.

"How are you feeling, Anna?" Speak of the devil. The princess' boyfriend came up to her from behind and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. Anna relaxed into it, but her worry for her sister didn't go away.

"I'm fine." she muttered.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine to me." said Hans with concern in his voice. Anna sighed.

"It's just... My parents died on the sea in a storm. And now Elsa is out there and I just can't stop worrying." Anna soon started releasing tiny sobs as she turned around and buried her face in Hans's chest. The prince pulled her closer and started to sooth her.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure Elsa will be fine." he said on a calming voice. Anna kept sobbing into his chest as he stroked her hair. Hans didn't worry, he knew the queen will be just fine.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, mum, I've been delayed." Merida exclaimed cheerfully as she burst into the dining room, carrying a plate full of food like she used to. After getting back to the castle and bidding farewell to Angus, she instantly made her way to the kitchen to pick up her lunch, then went straight to the dining room, eager to stuff herself with her lunch. "But I'm here now and I'm starving." Her entire family sat at the table, staring at her in shock, which she didn't expect.

"Merida..." Elinor started, but her daughter cut her off.

"I know, mum, ladylike behavior at the table and all, but we still have time before this queenie arrives and I want to enjoy it." she said as she sat down in her chair and almost immediately started to chew on a piece of meat.

"Merida..." her mother said a little louder, but she didn't get very far this time either.

"I just hope you don't want her to taste that sheep stomach thing, poor woman would have left with bad memories of Dunbroch." she laughed with her mouth full.

"It was quite tasteful actually." came an unfamiliar voice. Merida turned to the other side of the table and saw a woman with platinum blond hair, wearing a purple and green dress, staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Merida froze in place. Dead silence came to the room. The young princess didn't know what to do, she didn't even address Queen Elsa yet and she already embarrassed herself and her family. In the end, all Merida could do was swallow the food in her mouth and grin like an idiot, not knowing how to get herself out of such a situation, as her mother buried her face in her hands.

Elsa was... stunned to say the least. Before her ship set sail to Dunbroch, she got details on all of the members of the royal family, and this Princess Merida seemed to be the most intriguing of them all. She was aware that she got the family by surprise by arriving earlier than expected and she was interested how would they act in such a state of shock, but this certainly wasn't what she expected. When Elsa heard that this girl made a deal with a witch that transformed her mother into a bear, she was on the verge of throwing her informer into the dungeons in chains, declaring him mad. But she heard rumors around Dunbroch concerning this matter and while Elsa knew that rumors were mostly not true, they always had something to base upon. And to be honest, if there was indeed a witch in Dunbroch, that could prove useful to her in the future.

Getting tired of the awkward silence in the room, Elsa decided to break the silence. "So, how was your day... _princess_?" She asked, practically forcing the last word out on her mouth. This girl in front of her could be considered many things, but a princess was not one of them.

It took some time for Merida to recover from the shock of being caught in such an embarrassing situation and ruining her first impression on the Queen. Finally pulling herself together after a few moments of stun, she tried to save the situation as much as she could. "It... was..." she was still at a loss of words, so she took a peek at her mother for some help, before she said something that could worsen things. Elionr just gestured her to try to act politely and try to start a proper conversation. Sheepishly smiling, she turned back to the blonde woman. "It was pleasant, thank you for asking, your majesty."

Elsa had to do her best not to laugh out loud at Merida's feeble attempt to appear regal before her, but she managed to reduce it to a warm smile. "Well, glad to hear that." she said, then turned to Elinor. "You have a really..." she stopped to search for a fitting word. "...energetic daughter."

Elinor chuckled at that, relieved that the queen did not take offense from Merida's behavior. "You have no idea, Queen Elsa." she said with a smile, which Elsa returned.

"She actually reminds me of my sister somewhat." she said. Merida smiled at this with a sigh of relief. That could actually mean they could get along.

It was true. Merida reminded Elsa of Anna much. In fact, it was almost frightening. Much like her sister, the carefree and casual nature was just radiating from this girl. It was like her sister's image haunted Elsa wherever she went and whatever she did. Back in her isolated days, she just didn't stop knocking on her door and after the coronation, she desperately tried to recreate the sisterly bond they had back when they were kids. Elsa however was the Queen of Arendelle now. She didn't have time for little kids games, she had an entire country to lead for crying out loud. And an important mission as well. Taking another look at the princess, a quite distasteful look took over her face as she unintentionally remembered the last big conversation between her and her sister.

5 weeks ago, Elsa's coronation

Elsa was quite pleased with how the coronation ball went. She was now the Queen of Arendelle, no longer have to isolate herself from the outside world. But despite the fact the she never really experienced a ball before, it was starting to become boring to her. She silently thanked God when she was done with greeting the guests and accepting their regards. Having no interest in spending the rest of the night dancing with a handsome prince from a foreign kingdom... well in the dancing part anyway, she was about to call it a night.

"Elsa!" Elsa turned to the source of the voice and unsurprisingly saw her sister heading towards her, dragging a young man behind her. She was surprised to see her sister actually trying to make another attempt at getting along with her after she brushed her off earlier. "I mean, Queen." she said, trying to produce a clumsy curtsey, much to her sister's amusement. "May I present, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles." she said, gesturing to the man, standing next to her, who bowed his head to her.

"We would... like... your blessing... on our marriage." they stuttered together, making it difficult to understand. Elsa raised eyebrow.

"Marriage?" she asked, completely dumbfounded. Her sister gets out of the castle for like five hours and gets herself engaged to the first prince who comes across? Out of all the stupid... Oh, her sister and her mysterious ways.

"Yes." Anna squealed in delight.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused." Elsa admitted. Her sister started to blabber some things about their wedding plans, but she wasn't really paying much attention to it. She was too busy, observing this Hans character. There was something off about him. She could feel it. And the more she observed him, the more clear it became. The way he made himself appear in front of Anna, his smile, obviously fake, everything about him was fake, his stance, his look, everything. Elsa saw through it in a minute. This was the same facade she always had to put on for her parents to make herself look good in front of them. They wouldn't expect anything less of her than the perfect girl after the... incident. Even the slightest foul up and Elsa had a feeling that she could easily end up in the dungeons, or banished in the wilderness, or maybe even the scaffold.

No, she will not be fooled by the same act that she mastered over the past ten years. This Hans was obviously up to something, but what could it be? Nevertheless, she won't turn the tables on him just yet. But for now she had to end this ludicrous scene in front of her, these two were already planning moving in together and inviting the prince's brothers to stay with them.

"Anna, stop!" she said, making the two young royals look at her. "No one's brother is staying here and no one is getting married." she stated firmly.

"Wait, what?" Anna asked on a hurt tone.

"May I talk to you please... alone?" she asked, wishing to avoid a possible royal scandal.

"No," Anna said firmly as she grabbed the prince's arm. "Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us." Elsa narrowed her eyes. If she wanted it this way, then let's do it this way.

"Fine, you can't marry a man you just met." she declared forcefully.

"You can, if it's true love." Anna objected. Elsa could barely contain her mocking laughter. True love? Yeah, right.

"Anna, what do you know about true love?" she asked on a pitying voice.

"More than you!" responded Anna, greatly upset by her sister's tone. "All you know is how to shut people out!" And this was it. Elsa's eyes widened at the cruel, cold reply. She was forced to be locked up in a room for thirteen years for her sake and she actually has the nerve to throw it in her face. That... That... Ungrateful little brat! How dare she?! Elsa narrowed her eyes even further and spoke on an icy, unforgiving tone that made the two before her shiver.

"You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no." she said, glaring into her sister's eyes with fierce anger. "And now, if you'll excuse..." She was about to walk away, but Anna's would-be husband stopped her.

"Your majesty, may I say a few words?" he asked. Elsa was about to send him away, but then an idea struck her. An idea, that involved this Prince Hans in her future plans. She was thinking it over and after a few moments, she spoke.

"Very well, Prince Hans." Hans smiled about being able to convince the queen, however, she wasn't done yet. "But we will have these few words in private if you please." Anna narrowed her eyes at her.

"Elsa, I already told you, if you have something to say..." Elsa however interrupted her.

"Anna, let me make myself more clear. I will talk to Prince Hans in private." Elsa's tone was cold as ice, making her sister understand that she wasn't in the mood for another argument. She reluctantly nodded, with a saddened expression and let go of his arm.

"I'll be back soon." he reassured her by gently stroking her hand. Anna smiled at him as Elsa cleared her throat.

"If you'd be kind enough to follow me to my office." The queen said, gesturing for Hans to follow her. Hans nodded and left the ballroom in her company.

* * *

Elsa knew the way to her office, but it was still an odd feeling to be actually claiming it as her own. It used to be her father's for years and now it was hers. Hans was sitting in front of her, feeling a little nervous. Ever since they got there, Elsa said nothing to him, just sat down in her chair and pulled out some papers and started reading through them. Her expression was unreadable and she didn't even look at him for several minutes. This silence was making him uncomfortable, so he decided to break the ice.

"Uh... your majesty, as I was saying about the marriage..." he started, but Elsa raised a hand in front of him, signaling him to stop. She slowly put her hand down and put on an almost sickeningly sweet smile.

"Prince Hans, time is an important matter and I suggest we stop wasting each others'." Hans raised an eyebrow, curious to see where this conversation will go. "My sister may be naïve and desperate for love enough to fall for you, but I see through your facade." Hans became alarmed, as Elsa continued. "Your smile and your stance, your talk and your love, all fake. I can see what you are doing. Putting on a mask of perfection for someone to accept you is something I know way too well. You want to marry my sister, for reasons unknown to me, because thinking you love her after less than a few hours sounds just ridiculous, don't you think." Hans froze in his seat, unable to say anything. Elsa continued. "If I would have to guess, I would say you are after the throne of Arendelle. Am I right?" Hans once again couldn't form words. He looked at Elsa as if a thief caught in act. "Looks like I hit the nail right on the head. You only want power and position out of this marriage and I'm afraid I can't grant it to you..." Before Hans could say anything, Elsa continued. "...without a prize."

"What prize are you talking about?" Hans asked with a frown. Elsa smirked.

"I have a proposition for you. You see, my sister is craving love and attention and she believes she found it in you. I cannot give it to her at the moment, and you seem to be perfect for this job."

"Why bother with your sister, if you do not love her?" Hans asked, his voice becoming just as cold as the queen's. Elsa frowned.

"My relationship with my sister is none of your concern, Hans. But to answer your question, I have plans, plans that my sister would greatly disapprove of and as the second most powerful figure in Arendelle, she has the most chances of standing against me. So, my sister must stay unaware of my intentions. Simply put, I want you to court her, so she doesn't dig her nose into my business."

"And what's in it for me?"Hans asked. Elsa leaned forward in her chair and spoke on a soft, promising tone.

"I will help you achieve your life long dream, you will be king." she said with a smile. Hans looked dubious.

"What do you know about my life long drems?" he asked incredulously, clearly not giving Elsa any hints that she knew anything about him. Elsa chuckled.

"I have my ways of gathering knowledge."

"Ok, let's say for a moment you got it right. Wouldn't it be difficult for me to become king, if I courted the princess?" he asked. Elsa raised an eyebrow in confusion, before realizing, what he meant and burst into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, you think I would make you King of Arendelle? No, handsome. You will become king of your own kingdom, The Southern Isles."

"Well, as tempting as that may sound, I am merely thirteenth in line for the throne. In my own kingdom I don't stand a chance." Hans said. Elsa raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"That didn't seem to bother you in the past. Scheming against your brothers, trying to get rid of them, by throwing dirt at them, or trying to assassinate them or..." Hans' eyes widened in shock, he stood up and leaned dangerously close to the woman with an enraged face.

"How dare you accuse me of such..." but Elsa didn't let him finish, she stood up too and there was something about her, some invisible force that made the room become dark and cold. A force that made Hans fall back into his chair. Elsa's expression didn't help either. Her face suddenly lost that sickeningly sweet, taunting smile and became stone cold as she spoke.

"I thought we agreed we do not waste each others time, Hans. Do not even try to deny anything I just said." she sneered and threw the papers she was reading earlier at him. Hans looked at them carefully, they were documents about his kingdom and his family and various political schemes that went down in there. Hans became almost as pale as Elsa. "How... how..."

"Elsa laughed. "How did I learn of these things? Being locked up in a room for thirteen years has it's upsides, darling. One of them is you have awfully lot of time to learn. And I learned, Prince Hans. Many things, from people like diplomats, or ambassadors, or occasionally some of my father's spies who came back from kingdoms who weren't on such good terms with Arendelle. You didn't cover your tracks as well as you thought. So, why not make this easier for both of us and just accept my generous offer. I don't think I'm asking too much. Just keep my sister occupied, while I do my things and I will get you the throne of the Southern Isles, but if you decline, I'm afraid I'd have to reveal the knowledge I have about you, and to be honest, I don't want my coronation ball to end with an execution." Hans sat in his chair in defeat. He knew that should this information be revealed, he would be over for sure. "So, what do you say?" Elsa asked, extending her hand. Hans realized this woman was someone you want more as an ally, than an enemy. So making his mind up, he extended his hand and shook the queen's unusually cold one.

* * *

Elsa smiled at that memory. She played that prince as an instrument and with him, she will have less problems to worry about. She must have been in her thoughts longer than she thought, because Elinor called out to her.

"Queen Elsa, are you alright?" Returning to reality, Elsa smiled at her and said.

"Perfectly, thank you Queen Elinor. If you excuse me though, I would retire to my room for the rest of the day. The cruise was exhausting and I would like to get some rest on a real bed." Elinor nodded.

"Of course. Please enjoy your stay in Dunbroch." she said kindly as Elsa stood up and walked away.

"Thank you. I most certainly will." She said as she walked out of the dining room to go back to hers and prepare for tonight. _'Not so sure about you, though.' _she thought.

**A.N.:** **And this is the third chapter. I decided to introduce Anna and Hans and try to explain what roles they will play in this story. The rest of the Big Four will come in eventually.**

**I will return to "The Viking and the Snow Queen now, but school started, so I don't know how much time will I have for writing. Thank you for reading this chapter and please remember, reviews make me happy!**

**Bye!**


End file.
